Mutilation

[JackRubysDog]

We have a three-year-old grey called Totoro. He is an absolute delight and is well cared for and looked after. He spends as much time out of his cage as we can give him (usually five to seven hours a day), he is extremely friendly and very talkative, and enjoys a lot of play and contact.

 

We were worried when we went on holiday to the US in July this year as we were unsure what to do with him. We moved him to a neighbour who looked after him for two weeks. However when we returned he had damaged some of the feathers on his back. He was in lovely condition before.

 

A month later we went to France for five days. This time we left a radio on in the room on a timer and got a neighbour to pop in daily to look after him. This seemed to work a treat and there seemed no new damage on our return.

 

However, we came back from a week in Spain on Saturday, after using the same tactic, and we could not believe the site of Totoro when we returned. He has damaged his left wing so badly he can no longer fly, and is well on the way to doing the same to his right. He has also pulled out many of the feathers he can reach around his neck. He is still biting when we are around, and is totally untalkative (previously it was difficult to get him to shut up!), plus the fact that he can no longer fly even small distances is stressing him out further, leading to viscious circle of plucking. I am giving him as much attention as I can, and he seems to be responding, but he still seems a different parrot, and of course I cannot be around all the time.

 

So I was wondering if anyone on here has any advice, particularly to strategies adopted when leaving your parrot alone for some time. Also, how long will it take for his feathers to re-grow so he can fly again?

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Again,

 

I would say the damage is possibly down to the separation from you on your trips.

There is always a reason behind the plucking & it can be so frustrating for owners because you have to find out what is causing it, before you can start to fix the problem.The list is endless but a few possibilities are;

Frustration from long periods in his cage

Lack of mental & physical stimulation

Change of family circumstances/ environment

Incorrect periods of light/darkness

A poor diet, high in fatty foods

Attention seeking

 

From the above i would suggest frustration from being caged,lack of company & perhaps trying to draw someones attention.His wings were obviously damaged by flapping/panicking in his cage.

 

Ideally if you can is there perhaps a family member who could parrot sit for you in your home ? Totoro would at least then be in familiar surroudings.It is not an ideal scenario leaving him with a radio,timer etc.. He needs human contact.

He sounds as if he needs to regain your trust, just be patient & work with him slowly towards regaining the relationship you had.

[BMustee]

Well, mutilation is a very difficult to break. Because you know that he started the mutilation from his separation agsiaty I would not put him through that situation again until it is solved. If I was you I would take him to an avian vet to see when treatment he/she would recommend.

[lovemyGreys]

BMustee Thanks for the vet bit, i forgot to mention that , Yes a trip to the local avian vet would be advisable to check out the wing damage.

[loviechick]

Like mentioned before, changes in family situations can do this...I know when I left for 3 days shortly after getting Red, when I got home she wouldn't let me touch her for a couple days she was pissed....a trip to the vet isn't a bad idea either just in case, but more than likely repetitive temporary absenses is what is causing the mutilation

[judygram]

Yep sounds like separation anxiety, they don't like us being gone for any length of time and I would stay around until you have built that trust back and it might take some time for that to be established again. You got your job cut out for you and the next time you go away you need to make other arrangements that will lessen a reoccurance.

[Noely]

hi just from reading the article above im going on holidays in september for a week and wondering the best way to deal with my cag Tucker i was thinking of asking the pet store where i bought him from to mind him for the week im gone as he has a pet grey in the store all the time and thats without the other parrots he would have in cages waiting to be sold would they be good company for him or should i leave him at home and ask the neighbour to look after him while im gone but then he would have no company. ant advice??:dry:

[Woody6]

Personally, I would have someone house sit at the house (stay at the house) while you are gone. That is what I did when I went away for 11 days. The only thing is that individuals that were at my house while I was gone live at my house so these individuals were not strangers to my birds and they were able to keep my birds routines the same. It is so tough to figure out what our birds will accept without plucking themselves. If a person is going to house sit with the bird then that person may need to get to know your bird and interact with it a couple of months 'before' you go away so the bird is used to this person. That is just my opinion and thought. Someone else may have better advice.